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“In the mood for a slice?” Chloe asked them. Their favorite restaurant, Mario’s Pizza, was just down the block. “I’m craving some melted cheese.”
“Lead the way,” Laurie said, linking her arms with both of them.
They hurried through the crowd and passed in front of Mario’s giant window. For as busy as the park was at this time of night, Mario’s was almost empty. One person sat at a small table in the middle of the restaurant, helping himself to a slice. Gemma’s heart jumped as she caught a glimpse of Lance all by himself. Her friends spotted him a second later and they burst out with delighted laughter.
“You have to ask him to join us,” Chloe demanded. Her bright purple lips pouted at Gemma. “He’s all alone.”
“He probably wants to be left alone.” Gemma pushed them both playfully. “I don’t want to break his concentration.”
“Too late,” Laurie replied. She was looking through the window and waving. “He’s already spotted you. You can’t chicken out now.”
Sure enough, Lance was staring at them from his table, his half-eaten slice of pizza hanging from his hand. Gemma gave him a little wave, kicking herself for letting her friends bully her into going out tonight. But then again, if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have run into Lance looking all pathetic at a table for one. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to invite him to join them. She could display a little small town hospitality.
Before she could lose her nerve, she marched into the restaurant and straight up to his table. By now, he’d abandoned the pizza and was busy brushing crumbs from his lap. Other than the pink t-shirt for the dog shelter, it was the first time she’d seen him in street clothes. He wore a gray t-shirt under a fitted black leather jacket and blue jeans. She imagined the whole outfit probably cost more than a month’s rent for her apartment. Still, she couldn’t deny that he looked good in leather.
“Want to join us?” She cut straight to the chase. No need for small talk. “We’re walking through the festival of lights. It’ll be really fun.”
Okay, maybe calling it really fun was overselling, but she wasn’t making any guarantees. She slipped into the empty chair across from him and helped herself to a slice of his pizza.
Lance gulped down the bite he’d been working on and cleared his throat. He seemed to be caught off guard by her sudden appearance. His gaze kept bouncing between her fancy hairdo, her shiny sweater, and her red painted lips. She smiled at his shyness, amused to find he wasn’t always so overconfident.
“Sure,” he finally choked out. “I guess that would be okay.”
“Great.” She finished the slice and waved to Chloe and Laurie. They’d already bought their slices from the counter and were ready to get back on the street. “Let’s go.”
Chloe and Laurie led the way while Gemma and Lance trailed awkwardly behind them. The inky black darkness of the night sky combined with the twinkling lights of the city park made for a romantic setting. Couples were strolling everywhere around them, their hands linked, enjoying the park. Gemma stole a quick glance at Lance to find him watching her. She blushed and then turned back to the sidewalk, her heart racing for some odd reason.
“So, what do you think of New Hope?” she asked, desperate to fill the silence. With a wave of her arm, she looked back at him. “Is it as bad as you once thought it was?”
He considered for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. “It’s definitely not the black hole I expected it to be,” he confessed. “I mean, it doesn’t have as much stuff to do as in the cities, but then again, maybe that’s a good thing. Less things to get me in trouble.”
Gemma laughed, pleased he didn’t hate it anymore. “Yes, I’m aware of your reputation. The naughty nephew. Word gets around.”
He winced and rubbed his gloves together. “Is that really what you thought of me when I got here?”
“No.” She paused beneath a snow sculpture of an angel that had been lit up with canned lights. “I thought you were rude, egotistical, and spoiled. Naughty didn’t even cross my mind.” She winked at him, eliciting a smile that warmed her from the top of her head to her toes snug in her boots.
They walked along a little longer in silence. Chloe and Laurie had managed to lose them, leaving them to wonder the trail alone. They crossed over an old wooden bridge that ran over a small frozen creek. This part of the park was a lot less busy. The light displays were less crowded, but still beautiful.
“Can I ask what you think of me now?” Lance asked suddenly, his voice cracking. He ducked his head in embarrassment. “That is, if your opinion has changed at all.”
Gemma paused. She’d been turning that same question over and over inside her brain for the past week. He certainly wasn’t what she’d expected. She’d never gone from hating someone to liking them in such a short span of time. It confused her, as did the soft way he looked at her as he waited for her answer.
“I think you’re a good guy,” she finally managed to say. “I think you’re extremely intelligent and driven. I think it’s inspiring how determined you are to prove to your uncle you can do this job. And I think the love and respect you still have for your father is amazing. It reminds me of the relationship I have with my mother.”
Lance’s face went blank. He stared at her with unseeing eyes, eventually turning away to go view a team of reindeer figurines. Gemma’s stomach turned to ice. Maybe she’d said too much, been too forward.
Scott had told her more than a handful of times that guys didn’t like girls who seemed desperate. Maybe she’d sounded desperate, complimenting him like that. She wished she could take it all back, but words weren’t like the spool of ribbon she kept in her craft box at home. You couldn’t wind them back up, no matter how much you wanted to.
“Are you okay?” She went to his side, ready to do damage control. “Did I say too much?”
His face was pale in the white lights of the reindeer display. He frowned at her out of the corner of his eye and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m fine, really.”
She placed a hand on his elbow, her lips twisting into a wry smile.
“No, really, I’m fine,” he insisted. “You’re too nice. I don’t deserve all those things you said about me. I was a tool when I came marching in here last week, I’ll admit it. You all had a perfectly good reason to hate me. I didn’t make the best impression.”
She snorted. It was probably the worst impression she’d ever seen. But it made her glad that he wasn’t freaking out about her answer to his question. Her gut had begun to untwist as the anxiety left her body.
